This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
A cooling system (i.e., air conditioning system or refrigeration cycle) typically includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve assembly, and an evaporator. The cycle also includes a plurality of conduits that fluidly connect the compressor, condenser, expansion valve assembly, and evaporator. A refrigerant flows through the conduits and through the compressor, condenser, expansion valve assembly, and evaporator cyclically, changing temperature and pressure through the cycle. Moreover, air flows past the evaporator to be cooled, and this cooled air can be used to cool a control space (e.g., a passenger compartment of a vehicle, a building, etc.). Also, air flows past the condenser to be heated.
In many cooling systems, the compressor operates as long as the evaporator temperature (e.g., temperature at an evaporator fin) is within a fixed temperature range. For instance, the compressor remains ON as long as the actual evaporator temperature is between an upper limit and a lower limit. If the actual evaporator temperature is outside the upper or lower limits, then the compressor automatically turns OFF. This approach can avoid freezing of the evaporator.
The following discloses a cooling system with a compressor that can operate according to variable evaporator temperature limits. This approach can improve efficiency of the cooling system in some conditions.